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Is the punishment for bringing a gun through airport security too harsh?

Someone tried to bring this gun through security last week at Seattle’s airport. Do you think the punishment for doing this should be lessened? Photo: TSA

Here’s something that probably wouldn’t fly in California.

Georgia airports bust so many travelers for bringing guns through security that some members of the state legislature want to loosen the penalties for carrying a firearm through a checkpoint, according to the Associated Press.

The story talks about a man named Gary Lawrence who mistakenly brought a loaded 22-caliber revolver through Atlanta’s airport, one he usually uses “as protection against venomous snakes and coyotes.” He spent a night in jail and was charged with a misdemeanor, according to the AP story.

AP says some Georgia legislators think that this is unfair. They seem think people shouldn’t be published for what might be considered an honest mistake.

Now, gun-friendly lawmakers in Georgia want people licensed to carry a gun to avoid arrest if they accidentally take their firearms into the security checkpoint at the country’s busiest airport and willingly leave the security line. It occurs as gun rights groups in Georgia push state lawmakers to broaden the places where people can legally take guns, including churches and bars.

According to the TSA, travelers take guns through security a lot more often than you might think. Here’s the TSA tally from last week, which it published on its blog.